Siggaard-Andersen brings together the results of 12 basic, scholarly papers written by his associates and himself during the last four years on the subject, acid-base status. He places these results in proper historical perspective. The terminology of various writers is collated with appropriate comments on the differences in viewpoint of those who follow Bronsted's, Arrhenius', Lewis', or "Medical" definitions of acids and bases.
The book is an excellent source for technical details. Normal and extreme values for the various parameters of the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation and its derivatives are provided. A variety of nomograms are discussed and the logic developed for the selection of the plot, log Pco2 and pH with superimposed standard bicarbonate, buffer base, and base excess, as the most useful for the clinician. Copies of this nomogram, an associated alignment nomogram, and a case history diagram for recording the acid-base progress of a patient during treatment are appended